union – Hoang Viet

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Sep 8 2024

PM preparing for war with union leaders ahead of TUC conference | Politics News

Union leaders will this week go to war with Sir Keir Starmer on wages, winter fuel payments and workers’ rights.

As the first TUC conference under a Labour government for 15 years opens in Brighton, the prime minister faces a massive list of demands.

Ahead of the conference, the TUC is claiming workers were “cheated” out of £2bn of holiday pay last year under the Conservatives.

“The Conservative government sat back and let bad employers cheat their staff out of their basic workplace rights,” said general secretary Paul Nowak.

“Tory ministers were more concerned about stopping people getting what they were due by introducing anti-union measures, than funding enforcement bodies properly.”

The unions’ latest demands come after inflation-busting pay deals for train drivers and doctors which senior Tories claim were payback time for bankrolling the Labour Party.

Sir Keir is due to address the conference on Tuesday and Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, will speak at the traditional TUC general council dinner on Monday evening.

On holiday pay, the TUC claims more than a million workers – one in 25 – did not get any of the 28 days paid holiday or equivalent they were entitled to last year, adding up to £2bn in lost holiday pay at an average £1,800 per employee.

Low-paid workers were said to be most at risk and the jobs with the highest numbers of staff losing out were waiters and waitresses (59,000), care workers and home carers (55,000), and kitchen and catering assistants (50,000).

The TUC also claims millions of workers are missing out on other employment rights due to a lack of enforcement and that 365,000 workers – more than one in five – are underpaid the minimum wage.

Unions are launching a five-point plan for stronger enforcement of employment rights, including fines, more inspectors and inspections, extending licensing and a crackdown on exploitation of migrant workers.

Despite the bumper pay deals for train drivers and doctors to end their strikes, Mr Nowak is also demanding “pay restoration” for public sector workers, a big increase in capital gains tax and a wealth tax.

Delegates in Brighton will also debate demands on Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to restore winter fuel payments for all pensioners. Some 10 million are set to lose payments of up to £300.

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Ahead of a Commons vote on Tuesday, a motion in Brighton proposed by the giant Unite union, the shopworkers’ union USDAW and the public sector union PCS is expected to be backed by the conference.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said this weekend: “Why are Labour picking the pockets on the winter fuel payments instead of making those with the broadest shoulders actually pay.”

And in today’s Sunday People newspaper she calls on the chancellor to tax the rich to fund winter fuel payments, with a wealth tax to pay for a benefit U-turn.

Unions will also demand reassurances that Ms Rayner’s promised workers’ rights legislation, due next month, will not be slimmed down in response to pressure from employers.

Sir Keir has committed himself to introducing the legislation within 100 days of taking office and unions have already warned the government there will be outrage if that timetable slips.

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Aug 6 2024

‘Is this Britain or Soviet Union?’: Elon Musk hits out after video appears to show man arrested for Facebook comments | Politics News

Elon Musk has ramped up his row with the UK as he questioned if it was “Britain or the Soviet Union” after a man was apparently arrested over comments he made on Facebook.

The billionaire owner of X has been engaged in a war of words with Sir Keir Starmer over riots gripping the UK, amid concerns online disinformation is fuelling the unrest.

Riots latest: 30 new rallies on police radar and lawyers’ offices threatened

In his latest rebuke, Musk retweeted a video appearing to show police officers arresting a man for making offensive comments on Facebook.

He said: “Arrested for making comments on Facebook!

“Is this Britain or the Soviet Union? Is this accurate @Community Notes.”

Community Notes is X’s own fact checking resource.

In the video, the man is arrested on suspicion of improper use of the electronics communications network.

This covers things like sending a message that is “grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character” and can result in a maximum six month jail term or a fine.

In another tweet on Tuesday afternoon aimed directly at Sir Keir, Musk asked “why aren’t all communities protected in Britain?”.

It was in response to a video appearing to show large crowds of masked people gathered outside a pub, some waving the Palestine flag.

Musk directed a similar comment towards the the prime minister yesterday, after Sir Keir said he would not tolerate attacks on Muslim communities.

Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers have been among the targets of unrest across the UK for the past week.

The tech billionaire has also claimed that “civil war is inevitable” in the UK – comments which have been condemned by Downing Street and justice minister Heidi Alexander.

Ms Alexander earlier told Sky News that “everyone should be calling for calm in this situation”.

“So I do think the language around civil war being inevitable is totally unjustified,” she added.

The riots began in Southport last Tuesday in the wake of the fatal stabbings of three girls in the Merseyside town, and have spread to towns and cities across the UK.

The row risks threatening government efforts to get social media companies to take more responsibility for removing harmful online content believed to be stoking some of the violence.

Misinformation online said the person arrested, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was a Muslim refugee who arrived in the UK last year via a small boat.

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents before moving to a village near Southport.

Sir Keir has been clear that anyone inciting violence – whether online or offline – “will face the full force of the law”.

Former police chief Neil Basu has said the worst of the far-right violence should be treated as terrorism.

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Jun 8 2024

Rob Burrow: Rugby league and union fans pay tribute to former player who died of motor neurone disease | UK News

To a roaring crowd, the players of both teams in the Challenge Cup final lined up on the grass of Wembley Stadium united by the name and number on the back of their shirts: Burrow, 7.

On a massive day in the rugby league calendar, fans paid tribute to an unlikely star of the game… small, fast and powerful and a Leeds Rhinos player to the core.

But neither of the teams were from Leeds.

Instead it was Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors remembering Rob Burrow and everything he achieved both on and off the pitch, with a minute’s silence before kick-off – delayed to 3.07pm as another nod to the player.

Then, seven minutes in, the crowd erupted in applause as a picture of Burrow lifting the Challenge Cup for the Leeds Rhinos at Wembley in 2015 filled the screens.

Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019, two years after retiring from the game.

He died last Sunday, aged just 41.

He made it his mission to raise awareness of the destructive disease that robbed him of control over his body, and to raise funds for research to treat and hopefully one day cure it.

Rugby fans attending the games were invited to leave tributes at the Rugby League Legends statue at the stadium.

But the array of colours represented in the scarves, shirts and flags were proof that those leaving items in memory of Burrow represented many different teams.

Warrington Wolves supporters Dennis McQuillan, his son Charlie and grandson Archie were among those paying their respects.

“Seeing Rob’s passing has made a massive dent and the rugby league community really comes together in these times,” said Dennis.

“I’m impressed that they’ve done this and I’m very privileged to come and pay tribute to him.”

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It’s a legacy that transcends any differences between the game’s two disciplines… with fans across London at Twickenham also applauding during rugby union’s Premiership final at the seven-minute mark.

Back at Wembley, it wasn’t just the men marking the passing of the rugby legend.

The women played first – Leeds Rhinos beaten by St Helen’s – and both sides donned the shirt emblazoned with these words, which were part of Rob’s final message: “In a world full of adversity we must still dare to dream.”

And with family and friends continuing his work, the dream of a cure for such a devastating disease lives on.

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Oct 20 2023

Students’ union bans blue shirts and chinos | UK News

A students’ union has banned blue shirts and chinos after “behaviour concerns”.

Cardiff University Students’ Union said it would always support students to “have fun in a safe manner” at its venue.

The union said the clothing restrictions would be temporary and were not aimed at a specific group.

It said the policy was introduced in direct response to a specific recent incident, without providing any details.

The effectiveness of safety measures is regularly reviewed, according to the union.

A spokesperson said that, as the not-for-profit venue was owned by a registered charity, it invested in initiatives “that go above and beyond industry standards”.

“The students’ union is proud to run the most popular student entertainment programme in Wales, with over 8,000 visitors to the venues each week,” they added.

“It is our established practice to proactively respond to behaviour concerns so we can ensure that our events are safe, accessible and comfortable.”

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The spokesperson added that changes to safety measures were regularly communicated to its student population, and they thanked students for their support.

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Jul 13 2023

‘Unconscionable’: Junior doctors hit back at ‘final’ pay offer – as union demands 35% | Politics News

The government has put the UK in an “unconscionable” position by forcing through pay rises on the back of cuts to existing budgets, according to the junior doctors’ union.

Rishi Sunak has said the roughly 6% rise in salaries the government will implement across the public sector is a “final” offer, upon which there will be no negotiation.

Junior doctors will receive a 6% pay rise, plus £1,250 added to their salaries – equivalent to a raise of between 8.1% and 10.3% depending on previous pay packets.

“We will not negotiate again on this year’s settlements, and no amount of strikes will change our decision,” Mr Sunak said.

Politics latest: Rishi Sunak accused of treating migrants as ‘cash cows’

This figure falls well short of the 35% being demanded by the British Medical Association (BMA) for junior doctors.

It wants their pay restored to spending parity with the levels seen in 2008, noting that they have received below-inflation raises ever since.

Young medics are currently engaged in a five-day strike, their longest yet.

The prime minister’s line-in-the-sand approach is “irresponsible and unreasonable”, according to Dr Sumi Manirajan, the deputy co-chair of the BMA’s junior doctors committee.

She told Sky News: “This will no doubt contribute to the feeling that junior doctors are experiencing and reporting of not feeling valued.”

Professor Phil Banfield, the chair of the BMA’s UK council, said: “Today’s announcement represents yet another pay cut in real terms and serves only to increase the losses faced by doctors after more than a decade’s worth of sub-inflation pay awards.”

He added: “Public sector workers are not only working in underfunded services, but they are now being asked to pay for them through further cuts and proposed increased visa costs.

“The political choices this government is making continue to make ordinary people sicker and poorer; that is an unconscionable position for a ‘civilised’ society to be in.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the pay awards across the public sector will require around £5bn in cuts over the next two years.

Part of this will be funded for education by £880m from government over the next two years, as well as a rise in the immigration health surcharge – paid by people applying to immigrate to the UK.

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The surcharge has raised around £900m in the past four years

The rest of the money will be found through “efficiencies” and “reprioritisation” – which usually means cuts – although Downing Street says most of the money will be found from “underspends”.

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said there was “no fat on the bone” to fund pay rises out of existing hospital budgets.

He told Channel 4 that any reprioritisation would mean there “will be things we won’t be able to do”

“Patient services will be jeopardised and actually the prime minister’s own waiting list pledge will be jeopardised,” he added.

Responding to the BMA, a Downing Street spokesman said the 35% pay rise would be “simply not fair to taxpayers”.

“From the deal, independenty set by the [pay review bodies], junior doctors will see around a 9% uplift to pay,” he said.

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“Anyone… would think that is a significant increase. Certainly we do and we will not countenance borrowing more money or increasing taxation to go beyond what the independent pay review bodies have recommended.”

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Of course, my door’s open to discuss with the BMA other issues in terms of the quality of work conditions within the NHS and how we best support doctors in training.”

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Jun 24 2023

6% public sector pay rises ‘could be blocked’ – as union body accuses government of ‘playing politics’ | Politics News

Reports that Rishi Sunak could block 6% pay rises for public sector workers have been criticised by unions.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) accused the government of “blaming workers who can’t afford to put food on the table” after the Times reported that the prime minister could overrule recommendations from pay review bodies.

Government sources didn’t deny the claims, saying that “pumping money direct into the economy risks fuelling inflation” but added that pay settlements were being kept under review and no decisions had been made.

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Advice from the pay review bodies for teachers and junior doctors has now been received by ministers and is expected to be published next month – alongside the formal pay offers.

It has been reported that the recommendation for teachers is higher than previous settlements and could stretch to 6.5%.

Speaking to the Times, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “If we fuel inflation, we will all be poorer for longer… It’s impacting the price of everything.

“But what often looks like the obvious answer – pay me more – we all know how that works”.

Department for Education officials said Ms Keegan was speaking broadly about public sector wages and was not speculating on the outcome of the pay review process.

A source at the Department for Heath and Social Care said ministers were “considering carefully” the pay guidance and will publish a response in due course.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “UK inflation is not being driven by public servants. Their household budgets are under such pressure that we’ve got nurses and teachers using food banks.

“Playing politics with working people’s incomes is not only deeply cynical, but it puts all of our futures at stake.”

Further strike action has been announced for next month by junior doctors and teachers.

Read more:
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It is not unprecedented for review recommendations to be overruled, but the move does risk inflaming the ongoing disputes with unions and causing tension within government.

Ministers have previously pointed to the pay review bodies as a non-partisan way to resolve industrial disputes.

But some unions have refused to submit evidence to the panels over concerns about the fairness of the process.

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Government sources suggested the feasibility of wage deals would depend on factors such as where the money was coming from and whether it was paid as a one-off settlement or an ongoing commitment.

Earlier this year, unions representing some NHS workers agreed to a 5% increase alongside a one-off payment.

The Royal College of Nursing rejected this settlement, and the results of their ballot for further strike action are expected next week.

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May 13 2023

Train strike action ‘solid’ and will continue until government ‘unblocks’ pay dispute, says RMT union boss Mick Lynch | UK News

Striking rail workers have vowed to continue walking out until the government “unblocks” their pay dispute on the second day in a row of cancellations.

There are 14 rail operators affected by strike action by the RMT union on Saturday – the day of the Eurovision finale in Liverpool – after a separate walkout by train drivers from ASLEF on Friday.

Both strikes have caused widespread cancellations and show no signs of stopping after the RMT rejected a 9% pay increase.

ASLEF, which was offered an 8% increase over two years, has strikes planned until 3 June – the day of the FA Cup Final.

After rejecting the most recent offer, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch called for a special summit of unions, train operators and the government in a letter to Transport Secretary Mark Harper.

He told Sky News rail bosses want unions to call off any remaining strikes before negotiating any further – but their industrial action is “solid” and “will be as long as this campaign goes on”.

“What they want us to do is call off the dispute and then go into another set of negotiations without the leverage on the table – and we simply can’t do that,” he said on Saturday. “You don’t disarm yourself half-way through a campaign.

“It’s up to the government to unblock this dispute because they are the ones who have the final say on what is proposed at the table.

“In their contracts with these companies they stipulate what the negotiating position is and what the offers are.”

Union did not put latest offer to its members

Paul Gentleman, spokesperson for Great Western Railway, whose members are on strike today, said he knows of RMT members happy with the latest offer – but the RMT has not given members a chance to vote on it.

Describing it as “disappointing” and the dispute as “toxic”, he told Sky News a separate summit is unnecessary as “existing methods” could “provide the solution”.

Labour’s shadow employment secretary Alison McGovern added that constant train strikes are hindering the UK’s economic recovery.

Read more:
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Who is taking industrial action in 2023 and when?

But Mr Lynch said the union did not put the offer out for ballot because it did not keep up with the cost of living crisis and inflationary pressures.

“It’s not acceptable. It doesn’t meet the demands in the dispute,” he said.

It comes after the government was forced to bring the operator TransPennine Express under its control following a year of widespread delays and cancellations.

TransPennine, which was also on strike on Saturday – and covers the north of England and a small part of Scotland, has been badly affected by ASLEF driver strikes.

Mr Harper said his department had “played our part but ASLEF now need to play theirs” by calling off further strikes.

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Merseyrail, which runs the trains out of Liverpool, was not on strike on Saturday, with Eurovision organisers insisting travel to the city for the final would not be disrupted.

But those not already in Liverpool for the final will be unable to get there if they were relying on connecting services run by: Avanti West Coast; c2c; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Gatwick Express; Great Northern; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; Heathrow Express; Island Line; LNER; London Northwestern Railway; Southeastern; Southern; Stansted Express; Thameslink; TransPennine Express; or West Midlands Railway.

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Apr 15 2023

Royal Mail and Communication Workers Union reach agreement on pay and employment terms | UK News

Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have reached an agreement in principle following a long-running dispute over pay and employment terms.

In a joint statement with Royal Mail, CWU confirmed the agreement will now be considered by the executive of the union before it goes before the membership.

The details of the proposed agreement will be made public once it has been ratified by the union’s executive committee – expected to take place next week.

In a further statement, the CWU said: “We have reached a negotiators agreement with Royal Mail Group.

“The CWU Postal Executive will now meet and consider the agreement on Monday and Tuesday and we are putting in place plans to brief representatives across the union’s structures.

“On the basis that the negotiators agreement is endorsed by the Postal Executive, we will put in place a full communications plan to engage members. Thank you for your support and patience. It has got us to this point.”

11 months of negotiations

The two sides have been locked in bitter negotiations for 11 months over pay, jobs, and conditions for the 112,000-strong workforce.

There were 18 strike dates called last year and 2023 has seen the union and Royal Mail attempt to make progress at conciliation service Acas, with former TUC general secretary Sir Brendan Barber also joining the effort to deliver peace this month.

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The CWU secured a fresh mandate for industrial action in mid-February and would have to give seven days’ notice of any fresh walkouts.

The union had described the company’s self-dubbed modernisation plans as an “Uberisation”, declaring that it would turn Royal Mail into a gig economy-style employer.

How much strikes have cost Royal Mail

Royal Mail’s parent firm has raised its estimate for the cost of industrial action so far to £200m and claimed that up to 12,500 union members have worked on strike days.

International Distributions Services (IDS) said 18 days of walkouts helped push the division to a £295m operating loss in the first nine months of its financial year to the end of December.

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It reported that revenue at Royal Mail was down almost 13% on the same period in 2021, with a decline in letter volumes and COVID testing kits also contributing.

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Jan 16 2023

Teachers’ union could be next to announce strike as wave of industrial action continues | UK News

Thousands of teachers could be set to walk off the job as the National Education Union (NEU) prepares to announce the result of a strike ballot on Monday.

The NEU has said walkouts could begin at the end of the month after more than 300,000 teachers and support staff were asked to vote in a dispute over pay.

The union will have to give two weeks’ notice of any industrial action.

A ballot of members of the NASUWT teachers union last week failed to reach the 50% turnout threshold, although nine in 10 of those who did vote backed strikes.

The NEU announcement will come as the wave of industrial action which has swept across the country for months will continue this week.

Nurses across England will walk out on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned that if progress is not made in negotiations by the end of January the next set of strikes will include all eligible members in England for the first time.

The government continues to insist that pay claims are unaffordable and is sticking to its line that wage rises should be decided by pay review bodies.

Health unions are refusing to submit any evidence to the NHS pay review body for the 2023/24 pay rise until the current dispute is resolved.

Meanwhile, leaders from the GMB union will meet on Monday to decide whether to call more strikes among their ambulance members because of the lack of progress in talks.

Any decision is likely to be announced later in the week.

On Wednesday, Unison members at the Environment Agency will go on strike in a dispute over pay.

Talks will continue between rail unions and train operators in a fresh attempt to resolve the long-running row which has led to a series of strikes since last summer.

Both sides say they are working towards a revised offer.

It comes as the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) is pressing ahead with a strike on February 1 by 100,000 civil servants which will have an impact on governments, driving test centres, museums, ports and airports.

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The TUC is organising a series of protests on 1 February against the government’s controversial proposed new law on strikes.

Planned legislation aimed at ensuring minimum levels of service during strikes will receive its Second Reading in parliament on Monday.

A demonstration will be held outside Downing Street to protest against the government’s move.

PCS members working as legal advisers and court associates in more than 80 courts across England and Wales are also to take further strike action in a long-running dispute about a case management system called Common Platform.

Around 300 PCS members will take action on 21 January and 28 January.

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PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “As long as managers continue to ignore our members, our members will continue to resist the unworkable Common Platform system and fight for the integrity of the entire justice system.”

This week’s industrial action will take place after the government was accused of attempting to “steamroller” through new legislation on strikes amid mounting anger over the “spiteful” measure.

A bill on ensuring minimum levels of service during industrial action will receive its Second Reading in parliament on Monday as part of ministers’ response to months of strikes and more walkouts due in the coming weeks.

Labour said it will oppose the legislation and any attempts to fast track it through parliament without proper scrutiny.

The TUC said the planned law would give ministers sweeping new powers that restrict the right to strike.

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Dec 29 2022

Union says best-paid fire chiefs earn more than six times regular firefighter’s salary | UK News

The highest-paid fire service bosses earn more than six times a regular firefighter’s salary, according to a union.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said Freedom of Information requests reveal “stark inequalities” in pay, at a time when many firefighters are facing “in-work poverty”.

Chief fire officers get an average of £148,000, the union said.

The highest-paid earns £206,000 – more than six times what an ordinary firefighter is paid, they added.

The union published the figures as firefighters continue to vote on whether to strike over pay after rejecting an offer of 5%.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “Firefighters and control staff are facing yet another real terms pay cut while fire chiefs rake in huge salaries.

“FBU members are increasingly facing real ‘in work’ poverty, with firefighters having to rely on foodbanks and take on additional jobs to afford the basics.

“At the same time, some fire chiefs are also trying to persuade firefighters and control staff to step back from industrial action, to simply shut up about salaries that are several times smaller than their bosses.

Read more:
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“It’s insulting and stinks of hypocrisy of some chief officers who refuse to make the case for better pay for their workers.

“Chief fire officers are not worth six times more than firefighters, it was the latter who were called key workers during the pandemic delivering vital services including moving the bodies of the deceased.

“Firefighters and control staff are being left with no other choice but to take action.”

The ballot result is due at the end of January.

Pay negotiations are with representatives from employers – typically local authorities – but the FBU insists “a big factor in all of this is central funding”.

If they went ahead with strike action, firefighters would be the latest in a long line of workers to have taken industrial action in recent months.

Nurses, rail workers, civil servants and postal workers are among the tens of thousands of people to have already walked off the job in their fight for better pay.

Ministers have insisted they cannot afford to give striking workers inflation-busting pay rises.

But Labour has criticised the government for refusing to negotiate with unions.

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The pay increases for public sector workers